Into the Deep

And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:4)

A night of frustration, followed by advice from an outsider.

Simon. A professional fisherman. A tradesman who knew his trade. A provider who knew what was at stake.

Simon’s response is respectful, gracious and compliant…

“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”

While Peter’s reply feels generic, “I’ll let the nets down again…”, the instructions of Jesus were specific. “Into the deep…”

Out of the shallows. Beyond the convenient. To the deep.

Hard fishing. Deep fishing.

The fish had pitched a shutout, and Jesus, a rabbi without a pole, a net, or a hook, instructs the expert.

But Jesus knows. Not just where the fish are. He knows that when there are times of frustration, fear, confusion, disillusionment, maybe even despair… that going deeper is the start of the solution.

Deeper into the love and mercy of God. Deeper into our place of intimacy. Of confession. Of honesty. Of dependence.

Don’t just keep trying. Peter had done that all night. But rather, go deeper. This is not an effort problem, but a location problem.

When the world seems senseless. And it does.

When evil feels unconstrained. And it does.

When the definition of “moral good” is closer to “it depends”, than to a holy God. And it is.

When politics feels like a playground. And it does.

When the words of Job seem to capture the echo of frustration in our soul…

            Why do the wicked live,

            reach old age, and grow mighty in power? And they do…

Perhaps the answer is more of an invitation. To go deeper. To find a new location for comfort and hope.

This is not about technique, it’s about proximity.

When the world burns. When cities quake. When tears flood. Go deeper.

J.R. Miller put it this way, “The trouble with us is, we have been trying only the shallows of God’s love.”

Jesus knows. The chaos. The devastation. The pain. The plans we have made for ourselves. And into all of this, His invitation is vivid and demanding…

“Put out into the deep…”

This is where our nets will fill. This is where we will provide for the hopeless and helpless around us.

Out of the shallows, into the deep.

Because He said so.